Stop Lewisham council selling Wesley halls for housing development.

We call on the Mayor of Lewisham to keep the existing Wesley Halls as it is. Any new development should be next to the existing building.

What does Wesley Halls mean to our Downham Community? 

Downham (Wesley Halls) Community Centre is an intrinsic part of the Downham Estate and is a local landmark. Built at the same time as the estate 1929-30 originally a Wesleyan Church and has greatly played its part in local history and serving the community. 

The halls are still in good condition, very fit for purpose and still serving the local community. It is managed by Downham (Wesley Halls) Community Association and is a registered charity, number 275373. It is managed by trustees who liaise and work in partnership with local providers such as the Goldsmiths community association, Ringway Community Association, Adult Learning Lewisham, The Irish Centre, Lewisham Mencap, Lewisham Disability Coalition, London Probation and local schools. 

Downham is one of the most deprived wards in Lewisham, it has a large proportion of aging population, with higher levels of poverty, lower average incomes, more people living with disabilities and more people with caring responsibilities than most of the rest of the borough as evidenced by the returns of the 2011 census. 

At the centre we have a thriving community who take part in various educational, sporting, arts and crafts as well as performing art classes and events. Everything from toddler clubs, slimming and health clubs, Martial arts to faith gatherings. 

The three large halls are used 7 days a week up to 13 hours a day with over a thousand people attending weekly to take part in events and activities. There are no other local centres or halls that can accommodate this amount of community based activities at an affordable cost to Downham families. 

And Lewisham council want to sell all this for housing development. 

This will have a massive impact on the local area, the local community that meet, share and take part in the activities here, young and old and the vulnerable that rely on this special place. These are your halls, your community. 

We have until the 9th November to get as many people to sign the petition before the Mayor of Lewisham and cabinet decides our future. 

Please sign, and share with your friends and family. 

Let’s save OUR Halls together.